Asian Drama: The pursuit of modernisation in India and Indonesia

The now largely forgotten book Asian Drama: An Inquiry into the Poverty of Nations
by Swedish social scientist Gunnar Myrdal was published in 1968. Myrdal called
his book “Asian Drama” because of the tensions he saw being played out in Asia
between modern ideals and the traditional. But there was another drama too—
the tension being played out, within the ‘modern project’, between the different
economic strategies that were on offer. It is this particular drama that Tim
Lankester focuses on in the context of India and Indonesia over the three
decades from the mid–1960s. And for both these populous countries, there are
dramas still to be played out. Both countries have new elected governments this
year, and growth prospects of their economies largely will depend on to what
extent remaining reform and governance issues are tackled.